Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Joceline Tan on Tengku, The Star. 11 Sept 2005

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah was once one of the most powerful men in the country. He keeps a reduced profile these although he is on the sidelines of Umno, the partys affairs are still of key interest to him, writes JOCELINE TAN -

THE door to Tengku Razaleigh Hamzahs office slid open so smoothly and silently that one only noticed it was open when he stood in the doorway. The Kelantan politician-prince was wearing a linen shirt of the palest yellow over kaki-toned trousers.

His cream-and-white circular shaped office is, as most people would know by now, a smaller-scaled replica of the American presidents Oval Office. His private residence is situated behind the office and the entire complex has been along Jalan Langgak Golf in KLs diplomatic enclave for more than 20 years now.

The office had a well-used air about it.

And despite his confessed claim of being slightly colour blind, his taste for colour and design has always been constant, whether at his Kuala Lumpur quarters or at his Gua Musang base in Kelantan.

But quite typical of the old money generation, he is no spendthrift. His loafers have seen better days and his black plastic Casio wristwatch costs only RM200 although he has four or five of them.

And no expensive multifocals for him either for his bifocals have a clear line running across the middle.

A framed photograph of his grandfather standing alongside his father has place of honour in the office, hanging over the mantle.

Kelantans historical links with Thailand was evident for his fathers hair was styled along the old Siamese fashion  clean shaven, with a knot of hair at the crown.

The original photograph had come from the album of a Thai royalty. Tengku Razaleigh had the photograph enlarged and tinted by an expert, then printed on canvas. It looked like an oil painting from afar.

But the energy in the oval room emanated from its owner.

A former Finance Minister and Umno treasurer, Tengku Razaleigh remains one of Malaysias more fascinating political personalities.

He still has the complexion of a baby  pink, smooth and glowing. And the infectious smile has not dimmed.

Most of all, there is what some say is his greatest asset as a politician, that is, his easy social grace. He has a seemingly effortless ability to mingle, chat and laugh with people, regardless of their social class.

The man, known widely by the abbreviated Kuli, turned 68 in April.

He is an Aries (energetic, ambitious and bold) like his one-time political rival Tan Sri Musa Hitam, and was born in the Chinese year of the ox (iron-willed, fearless and persevering) like yet another former political rival Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is 12 years his senior.

If the astrological traits are to be believed, it was little wonder then that the politics between the three had kicked up such a storm.

A ship can only have one captain, and the stars of the time seemed to have produced one too many captain-minded individuals in Umno.

But history, as they say, belongs to the victors, and neither Tengku Razaleigh nor Musa dominates the national consciousness of the X-generation the way Dr Mahathir does.

Yet, he was a central figure in the politics of the 1980s and into the 1990s. He fought Musa for the Umno No 2 post in 1984 and his fight with Dr Mahathir for the leadership of Umno in 1987 resulted in Umno being deregistered.

He is very particular about the fact that he did not leave Umno. The original Umno, he will patiently tell his listeners, was dissolved and the two disputing sides were forced to set up their own political parties.

Semangat 46 went on to collaborate with PAS and win control of Kelantan. But its ties with PAS soured and in 1996, it was dissolved and the members absorbed into Umno.

Tengku Razaleigh remains Gua Musang MP but has stayed on the political sidelines of Umno.

His diehard supporters would insist that his political career ended too prematurely but he was philosophical about it: Its part of the game. You win or you lose.

But for as long as the game was in play, he and Dr Mahathir were a formidable pair of opponents.

He remains an iconic figure in Kelantan and, particularly in Gua Musang where he often slips into the aristocratic mode of referring to his constituents as my people. But he is not wrong, they are like his subjects and they do revere him as those who have seen him on home ground would testify to. Tengku Razaleigh still receives strings of visitors, from politicians to business groups and journalists.

He keeps a keen eye on finance, trade and industry here and globally and of course he is quite undetached about the political-goings-on.

In fact, he had started the interview talking about Chinas revaluation of the Renminbi and Katrinas impact on oil prices. Global politics, he said, would continue to be driven by energy issues.

But he is not involved in any business, not even as directors or chairmen of any company boards.

I dont want to kowtow to anybody to get favours. Its beneath me to do that and to free myself from doing that, I simply say no when Im offered, he said.

Is he quite fabulously rich?

No, I am just part of the middle-class, he said quite unconvincingly before bursting into laughter.

However, he admits to being in great health.

He uses the treadmill everyday, does qi gong once a week, swims a few times a week in his half-Olympic size pool and walks about his constituency when back in Kelantan.

His rancour about PAS and Datuk Seri Nik Aziz Nik Mat has also diminished with time.

He made cutting remarks about his former ally shortly after their break-up but now acknowledges that Nik Azizs strength lies in his reputation as a Tok Guru, a religious preacher.

However, he does not see PAS maintaining its clout in Kelantan without Nik Aziz.

As to whether Umno would be able to regain Kelantan, that would depend on the personalities and issues.

The present (Umno) leadership in Kelantan is doing its best but its not the time for people to make a decision, he said.

He said PAS rides on the miseries of Umno. In 1990, it was the Team A-Team B issue and in 1999, it was the Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sacking.

The PAS religious agenda does not sell. The women do not support them and if they are going to say no, no, no, to things, the young are not going to support them. If they go along the route of the Islamic party of Turkey then they have a chance. But then, what would be the difference between them and Umno?

Even Anwar (Ibrahim) ? I told him that PAS had rejected him when he came to see me.

Does he take holidays now that he has more time on his hands? Where would I go? Ive been everywhere. Besides all my friends have died or retired. When I call them, they talk about their aches and their rheumatism, he joked.

But he does have a few old favourites like Hong Kong where he has good, long-time friends, and Paris, which he enjoys for the food and cultural sophistication.

His reduced profile these days sometimes lends the impression that he is about to retire from politics.

I'm still a division head and an MP. Even if I'm no longer an MP, as long I have the people's interest at heart, I will be active.

He caused a stir last year when he offered himself to be nominated for the Umno president post.

He said it was to send a message to the grassroots that they had the right to contest any post, however high or ordinary the post.

It was not because he coveted the post nor did he have anything against incumbent Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

In fact, it was more of a statement on what he sees as an unfair party rule instituted during the era of Mahathir.

Tengku Razaleigh may be on the sidelines of Umno but Umno affairs are still central to him.

I don't think I will ever retire. Politicians never really retire ? look at Mahathir! he said with another burst of laughter. //Thestar 11 Sept